US20060178037A1 - Strain relief for ball grid array connectors - Google Patents
Strain relief for ball grid array connectors Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060178037A1 US20060178037A1 US11/051,361 US5136105A US2006178037A1 US 20060178037 A1 US20060178037 A1 US 20060178037A1 US 5136105 A US5136105 A US 5136105A US 2006178037 A1 US2006178037 A1 US 2006178037A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- strain relief
- housing
- insert
- relief device
- electrical connector
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
- H01R12/70—Coupling devices
- H01R12/7005—Guiding, mounting, polarizing or locking means; Extractors
- H01R12/7011—Locking or fixing a connector to a PCB
- H01R12/7017—Snap means
- H01R12/7029—Snap means not integral with the coupling device
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
- H01R12/70—Coupling devices
- H01R12/7005—Guiding, mounting, polarizing or locking means; Extractors
- H01R12/7011—Locking or fixing a connector to a PCB
- H01R12/707—Soldering or welding
Definitions
- the invention relates generally to electrical connectors. More specifically, the invention relates to relieving strain on electrical connectors connected to substrates.
- Surface mounted electrical connectors may include strain relief mechanisms.
- Known strain relief mechanisms may take the form of connector posts that extend into a surface of a mounting substrate.
- creating post receiving through holes in a PCB is not acceptable in some applications because of the extra manufacturing step and the reduction in usable board space. Therefore, other connectors include a surface mounted strain relief member.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,829 discloses a strain relief tab that is surface mounted to a substrate.
- strain relief concepts are used to compensate for CTE mismatches, which in turn can cause electrical connectivity breaks at the intersection of the connector contacts and the surface of the PCB.
- surface mounted connectors may also be subjected to uni-directional shear load forces caused by orthogonally mated boards, such as a vertical motherboard connector connected to an orthogonally mated daughter card.
- This shear load force which is a function of the mass of the orthogonally mated daughter card, the length of the card with respect to the connection, and gravity, can impart a significant shear force on connectors that are surface mounted to the motherboard. Therefore, there is a need for a surface mounted strain relief member that can retard CTE mismatches and carry a shear load.
- the invention includes a strain relief device for mounting on a surface of a substrate, wherein the strain relief device is designed to carry a shear load in addition to compensating for CTE mismatches.
- the strain relief device may include a spring beam end that deflects during insertion into the strain relief housing and a mount end that may define solder receiving orifices. The resilience of the spring beam and mount end of the device help, alone or in combination, to provide a vertical connector with resistance against a shear force created by an orthogonally connected daughter card.
- the modularity and flatness of the strain relief device also helps to decrease manufacturing and production costs.
- the direction of deflection may be perpendicular to a direction of insertion.
- the deflection may be caused by protrusions on the spring beam abutting walls of a slot in the strain relief housing.
- the slot When the insert is fully received in the housing, the slot may be shaped such that the protrusions do not abut the walls and the spring beam may return to a relaxed state, locking the insert in the strain relief housing.
- the insert may also include a plate portion perpendicular to the spring beam such that the plate portion abuts the strain relief housing, preventing the insert from moving in the direction of insert.
- the plate portion additionally may be soldered to a substrate to secure the strain relief device to the substrate.
- an end of the strain relief insert may be inserted into the housing in a direction of insertion until straight beams extending from the insert in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion abut shoulders in the slot in the housing.
- the insert may not move further in the direction of insertion, and the end of the insert may extend beyond the strain relief housing.
- This end may be deformed or bent so that it is perpendicular to the direction of insertion, thus preventing the insert from moving in a direction opposite the direction of insertion.
- the deformed or bent end may be soldered to a substrate, thereby attaching the strain relief device to the substrate.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B depict perspective views of example strain relief devices attached to an electrical connector and connected to respective substrates.
- FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view of an example strain relief device attached to or formed as a part of a header portion that is attached to a receptacle portion.
- FIG. 2B is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a strain relief insert.
- FIG. 2C depicts a perspective view of an example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert being received in a strain relief housing.
- FIG. 2D depicts a cutaway perspective view of an example strain relief device.
- FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3 C, and 3 D depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing an alternative example embodiment of a strain relief device and alternative example methods of configuring the strain relief device.
- FIG. 4A depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert partially received in a strain relief housing.
- FIG. 4B is a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief insert.
- FIG. 4C depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert partially received in a strain relief housing.
- FIG. 4D depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with a strain relief insert received in the strain relief housing.
- FIGS. 4E, 4F , 4 G, and 4 H depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing alternative example methods of configuring an alternative strain relief device.
- FIGS. 5A, 5B , and 5 C depict an example method of attaching an example embodiment of a strain relief housing to a substrate when contacts in a receptacle portion of a connector are attached to the substrate.
- FIGS. 6A and 6B depict perspective views of a header portion of an electrical connector with alternative example configurations of strain relief devices to minimize footprints of the devices on a substrate.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of example strain relief devices 200 connected to respective substrates 110 , 120 .
- FIG. 1A shows an electrical connector 130 connecting a substrate 110 to a substrate 120 .
- FIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of the electrical connector 130 .
- the electrical connector 130 may include a receptacle portion 220 and a header portion 230 .
- the receptacle portion 220 may be connected to a substrate 120 such as, for example, a mother board.
- the header portion may be connected to a substrate 110 such as, for example, a daughter card. That is, the electrical connector 130 may electrically connect a daughter card to a mother board.
- a daughter card such as, for example, a daughter card
- the electrical connector 130 may include the strain relief devices 200 . Such devices may be attached to or formed as part of a housing of the electrical connector 130 or, more specifically, a housing of the receptacle portion 220 or the header portion 230 .
- the strain relief devices 200 may be connected to the substrates 110 , 120 to which the electrical connector 130 is connected.
- FIGS. 2A, 2B , 2 C, and 2 D depict perspective views of the example strain relief device 200 and an example strain relief insert 205 .
- FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view of the example strain relief device 200 attached to or formed as a part of a receptacle portion 220 that is attached to a header portion 230 of a connector such as the connector 130 .
- FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the example strain relief insert 205 .
- FIG. 2C depicts a perspective view of the example strain relief device 200 with the example strain relief insert 205 being received in a strain relief housing 202 .
- FIG. 2D depicts a cutaway perspective view of the example strain relief device 200 .
- the strain relief device 200 may include the strain relief housing 202 and the strain relief insert 205 .
- the strain relief insert 205 may be inserted into and thus received in the strain relief housing 202 .
- the strain relief device 200 may be attached to or molded as part of a housing of a connector such as the connector 130 or, more specifically, to the housing of a receptacle portion 220 or a header portion 210 of a connector.
- the strain relief insert 205 may be received and locked in the strain relief housing 202 such the insert 205 may not be removed or may be removed only with the use of a mechanism to unlock the insert 205 from the strain relief housing 202 .
- the strain relief insert 205 may be disposed to be soldered to a respective location on a substrate, such as the substrate 120 , when solder balls 250 attached to individual contacts (not shown) in a connector 130 are soldered to the substrate.
- the strain relief housing 202 may include a slot 204 into which the strain relief insert 205 may be inserted.
- the slot 204 and the insert 205 may each be in a complementary shape to lock and hold the insert 205 in the strain relief housing 202 .
- the strain relief insert 205 may include, for example, one or more spring beams 207 for insertion into the strain relief housing 202 and a plate portion 209 that extends in a direction perpendicular to a direction of insertion into the strain relief housing 202 . Additionally, respective ends 207 a of the spring beams 207 may be connected by a body 207 b such that the spring beams 207 form a “U” shape, as best seen in FIG. 2B .
- the spring beams 207 may extend from the body 207 b in a first direction and may each include an extension, that is, protrusion 208 extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.
- the protrusion 208 may form a shoulder 208 a on the spring beam 207 .
- the protrusions 208 may press against walls 204 a of the slot 204 , forcing the spring beams 207 to deflect toward each other, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. The deflection may also be perpendicular to a direction of insertion.
- the spring beams 207 may be inserted into the strain relief housing 202 until the plate portion 209 abuts the strain relief housing 202 .
- the protrusions 208 may extend past a complementary slot shoulder 203 in the slot 204 .
- the deflected spring beam 207 may return to a relaxed, undeflected state as the protrusions 208 no longer abut respective walls 204 a of the slot 204 to cause the spring beams 207 to deflect. This may best be seen in FIG. 2D .
- the strain relief insert 205 may be locked in the strain relief housing 202 , preventing the insert 205 from being moved in a direction opposite the direction of insertion (i.e., preventing the insert 205 from being removed from the strain relief housing 202 ). Additionally, the plate portion 209 and the strain relief housing may cooperate to prevent the strain relief insert 205 from moving any farther in the direction of insertion as the plate portion 209 abuts the strain relief housing 202 . It should be understood that the direction of insertion of the strain relief insert 205 may be away from a substrate to which the insert 205 may be connected. The strain relief insert 205 may be locked in the strain relief housing 202 in the absence of barbs, spurs, or other mechanisms used to cut into the spring relief housing 202 .
- the strain relief device 200 may be soldered or otherwise connected to a substrate such as a printed circuit board.
- the plate portion 209 may be soldered to the substrate when the solder balls 250 are soldered to the substrate.
- the plate portion 209 may include solder holes 206 that may be used to firmly solder the strain relief device 200 to the substrate.
- the strain relief housing 202 may be constructed of a suitable material such as plastic or of the same material as the housing of the electrical connector 130 to which it is attached. Alternatively, the strain relief housing 202 may be molded as part of the housing of the electrical connector 130 .
- the strain relief insert 205 may be constructed of a conductive material or a material otherwise amenable to being soldered to a substrate.
- the spring beams 207 and the plate portion 209 may be stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of conductive material. The plate portion 209 may be bent or deformed such that it is perpendicular to the spring beams 207 before inserting into the strain relief housing.
- FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3 C, and 3 D depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing another example embodiment of a strain relief device 300 and example methods of configuring the strain relief devices 300 .
- the strain relief device 300 may be substantially similar to the strain relief device 200 but may include two strain relief inserts 305 a , 305 b received in respective slots instead of one insert as shown with regard to the strain relief device 200 . This doubling of the strain relief inserts may allow for a longer strain relief connection with a substrate without detrimentally increasing the strain relief footprint on the substrate.
- the strain relief device 300 may be configured in various ways to provide optimal strain relief for an application. As shown in FIG. 3A , the strain relief inserts 305 a , 305 b may be positioned such that a plate portion 309 a faces towards the receptacle portion 220 , while the adjacent plate portion 309 b faces away from the receptacle portion 220 . As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C , the strain relief inserts 305 a , 305 b may be positioned such that the plate portions 309 a , 309 b may face away from ( FIG. 3B ) or toward ( FIG. 3C ) the receptacle portion 220 . FIG.
- strain relief inserts 305 a , 305 b may be positioned such that the plate portions 309 a , 309 b on one side of the receptacle portion 220 may face away from the receptacle portion and the plate portions 309 a , 309 b on the opposite side of the receptacle portion 220 may face toward the receptacle portion 220 .
- Such positioning may be equally applicable on the header portion 210 of the electrical connector 130 or on any other type of electrical connector.
- FIGS. 4A, 4B , 4 C, and 4 D depict perspective views of an alternative example strain relief device 400 and an alternative example strain relief insert 405 .
- FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the example strain relief device 400 with the example strain relief insert 405 partially received in a strain relief housing 402 .
- FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the example strain relief insert 405 .
- FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the example strain relief device 400 with the example strain relief insert 405 partially received in the strain relief housing 402 .
- FIG. 4D is a perspective view of the example strain relief device 400 with the strain relief insert 405 received in the strain relief housing 402 .
- the strain relief device 400 may include the strain relief housing 402 and the strain relief insert 405 .
- the strain relief device 400 may be attached to a housing of a connector such as the connector 130 or, more specifically, to the housing of a receptacle portion 220 or a header portion 210 of a connector.
- the strain relief insert 405 may be inserted into and thus received in the strain relief housing 402 .
- the strain relief housing 402 thus may include a slot 404 into which the strain relief insert 405 may be received, as may best be seen in FIG. 4C .
- a direction of insertion may be towards a substrate to which the strain relief insert 405 may be connected.
- the strain relief insert 405 may be include a body 407 extending in a first direction with beams 407 a extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.
- the beams 407 may form an insert shoulder 408 that may correspond to a shoulder 412 in the slot 404 of the strain relief housing 402 . This may best be seen in FIG. 4C .
- the complementary shapes of the insert 405 and the slot shoulders 412 may create a positive stop, preventing the insert 405 from moving in the direction of insertion when the slot shoulder 412 abuts the insert shoulder 408 .
- plate portions 409 of the strain relief insert 405 may extend beyond the strain relief housing 402 . This may best be seen in FIG. 4D .
- the plate portions 409 of the insert may be bent or deformed by any suitable method and with any suitable tool such that the plate portions 409 abut the strain relief housing 402 . This may be best seen in FIGS. 4E-4H . In this way, the strain relief insert 405 may be prevented from being moved in a direction opposite the direction of insertion (i.e., from being removed from the strain relief housing 402 ). Additionally, the plate portions 409 may be suitably located to be soldered to respective locations on a substrate, and may include solder holes 406 to facilitate soldering.
- the strain relief insert may include reliefs 401 a , 401 b , 401 c to aid in bending the plate portion 409 to facilitate providing a snug abutment of the plate portions 409 against the strain relief housing 402 .
- the plate portion 409 may include a plate portion slot 403 to allow for easier bending of the slot portion and also to enable the strain relief device 400 to be configures in various ways for optimal strain relief.
- FIGS. 4E-4H Various configurations are depicted in FIGS. 4E-4H .
- the plate portion 409 may be bent or deformed such that half of the plate portion 409 faces towards the receptacle portion 220 , while the other half faces away from the receptacle portion 220 .
- the plate portion 409 may be configured such both halves face away from ( FIG. 4F ) or toward ( FIG. 4G ) the receptacle portion 220 .
- FIG. 4H shows that the plate portions 209 on both sides of the receptacle portion 220 may be bent or deformed in the same direction such that the plate portion 409 on one side of the receptacle portion 220 may face away from the receptacle portion and the plate portion 409 on the opposite side of the receptacle portion 220 may face toward the receptacle portion 220 .
- Such configurations may be equally applicable on the header portion 210 of the electrical connector 130 or on any other type of electrical connector.
- the strain relief housing 402 may be constructed of a suitable material such as plastic or of the same material as the housing of the electrical connector 130 to which it is attached. Alternatively, the strain relief housing may be molded as part of the housing of the electrical connector 130 .
- the strain relief insert 405 may be constructed of a conductive material or a material otherwise amenable to being soldered to a substrate. The strain relief insert 405 may be stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of conductive material.
- FIGS. 5A, 5B , and 5 C depict an example method 500 of attaching the strain relief housing 200 to the substrate 120 when solder balls 250 of a ball grid array of the receptacle portion 220 are attached to the substrate 120 .
- the strain relief insert 205 may be received in the strain relief housing 202 .
- the receptacle portion 220 may be placed on the substrate 120 .
- the solder balls 250 may abut the substrate 120 .
- a gap G 1 may form between the strain relief device 200 and the substrate 120 .
- reflow of the solder balls 250 may commence and, as the solder balls 250 are reflowed to the substrate 120 , the gap G 1 may decrease until the strain relief device 200 abuts the substrate 120 . That is, the gap G 1 may account for a distance that the receptacle portion 220 may move towards the substrate 120 during reflow.
- the strain relief device 200 may be soldered to the substrate 120 .
- the method 500 may be equally applicable to other strain relief devices such as, for example, the strain relief devices 300 , 400 .
- FIGS. 6A and 6B depict perspective views of the header portion 230 with alternative example configurations of strain relief devices 200 to minimize footprints of the devices 200 on a substrate 110 .
- FIG. 6A depicts a perspective view of an example header portion 230 with four strain relief devices 200 a , 200 b , 200 c , 200 d .
- One or more respective strain relief devices 200 a , 200 b may be located on each side of the header portion 230
- one or more respective strain relief devices 200 c , 200 d may be located on an end of the header portion 230 that abuts the substrate 110 .
- the distance F that a footprint of a strain relief device 200 b extends beyond the footprint of the housing of the header portion 230 may be minimized through the design of the strain relief devices, 200 , 300 , 400 described herein.
- the distance F may be, for example, 0.3-1.5 mm.
- FIG. 6B depicts a perspective view of an example header portion 230 with two strain relief devices 200 c , 200 d .
- the strain relief devices 200 c , 200 d may be located on the end of the header portion 230 that abuts the substrate 110 . In this way, the connector pitch of the substrate 110 may not be affected by the addition of the strain relief devices 200 c , 200 d.
- strain relief devices for electrical connectors.
- the strain relief devices may be attached to other connector types, not just to those including a receptacle portion and a header portion.
- Words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation.
- the invention has been described herein with reference to particular structure, materials and/or embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein. Rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may affect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects.
Abstract
Description
- The invention relates generally to electrical connectors. More specifically, the invention relates to relieving strain on electrical connectors connected to substrates.
- Surface mounted electrical connectors may include strain relief mechanisms. Known strain relief mechanisms may take the form of connector posts that extend into a surface of a mounting substrate. However, creating post receiving through holes in a PCB is not acceptable in some applications because of the extra manufacturing step and the reduction in usable board space. Therefore, other connectors include a surface mounted strain relief member. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,829 discloses a strain relief tab that is surface mounted to a substrate.
- These strain relief concepts are used to compensate for CTE mismatches, which in turn can cause electrical connectivity breaks at the intersection of the connector contacts and the surface of the PCB. However, surface mounted connectors may also be subjected to uni-directional shear load forces caused by orthogonally mated boards, such as a vertical motherboard connector connected to an orthogonally mated daughter card. This shear load force, which is a function of the mass of the orthogonally mated daughter card, the length of the card with respect to the connection, and gravity, can impart a significant shear force on connectors that are surface mounted to the motherboard. Therefore, there is a need for a surface mounted strain relief member that can retard CTE mismatches and carry a shear load.
- The invention includes a strain relief device for mounting on a surface of a substrate, wherein the strain relief device is designed to carry a shear load in addition to compensating for CTE mismatches. In one embodiment, the strain relief device may include a spring beam end that deflects during insertion into the strain relief housing and a mount end that may define solder receiving orifices. The resilience of the spring beam and mount end of the device help, alone or in combination, to provide a vertical connector with resistance against a shear force created by an orthogonally connected daughter card. The modularity and flatness of the strain relief device also helps to decrease manufacturing and production costs.
- The direction of deflection may be perpendicular to a direction of insertion. The deflection may be caused by protrusions on the spring beam abutting walls of a slot in the strain relief housing. When the insert is fully received in the housing, the slot may be shaped such that the protrusions do not abut the walls and the spring beam may return to a relaxed state, locking the insert in the strain relief housing. The insert may also include a plate portion perpendicular to the spring beam such that the plate portion abuts the strain relief housing, preventing the insert from moving in the direction of insert. The plate portion additionally may be soldered to a substrate to secure the strain relief device to the substrate.
- In an alternative embodiment, an end of the strain relief insert may be inserted into the housing in a direction of insertion until straight beams extending from the insert in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion abut shoulders in the slot in the housing. When the beams abut the slot shoulders, the insert may not move further in the direction of insertion, and the end of the insert may extend beyond the strain relief housing. This end may be deformed or bent so that it is perpendicular to the direction of insertion, thus preventing the insert from moving in a direction opposite the direction of insertion. The deformed or bent end may be soldered to a substrate, thereby attaching the strain relief device to the substrate.
-
FIGS. 1A and 1B depict perspective views of example strain relief devices attached to an electrical connector and connected to respective substrates. -
FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view of an example strain relief device attached to or formed as a part of a header portion that is attached to a receptacle portion. -
FIG. 2B is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a strain relief insert. -
FIG. 2C depicts a perspective view of an example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert being received in a strain relief housing. -
FIG. 2D depicts a cutaway perspective view of an example strain relief device. -
FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3C, and 3D depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing an alternative example embodiment of a strain relief device and alternative example methods of configuring the strain relief device. -
FIG. 4A depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert partially received in a strain relief housing. -
FIG. 4B is a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief insert. -
FIG. 4C depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with an example strain relief insert partially received in a strain relief housing. -
FIG. 4D depicts a perspective view of an alternative example strain relief device with a strain relief insert received in the strain relief housing. -
FIGS. 4E, 4F , 4G, and 4H depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing alternative example methods of configuring an alternative strain relief device. -
FIGS. 5A, 5B , and 5C depict an example method of attaching an example embodiment of a strain relief housing to a substrate when contacts in a receptacle portion of a connector are attached to the substrate. -
FIGS. 6A and 6B depict perspective views of a header portion of an electrical connector with alternative example configurations of strain relief devices to minimize footprints of the devices on a substrate. -
FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of examplestrain relief devices 200 connected torespective substrates FIG. 1A shows anelectrical connector 130 connecting asubstrate 110 to asubstrate 120.FIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of theelectrical connector 130. Theelectrical connector 130 may include areceptacle portion 220 and aheader portion 230. Thereceptacle portion 220 may be connected to asubstrate 120 such as, for example, a mother board. The header portion may be connected to asubstrate 110 such as, for example, a daughter card. That is, theelectrical connector 130 may electrically connect a daughter card to a mother board. Those skilled in the art, however, will recognize that embodiments of the invention may be used in any electrical connections between an electrical connector and a substrate. - The
electrical connector 130 may include thestrain relief devices 200. Such devices may be attached to or formed as part of a housing of theelectrical connector 130 or, more specifically, a housing of thereceptacle portion 220 or theheader portion 230. Thestrain relief devices 200 may be connected to thesubstrates electrical connector 130 is connected. -
FIGS. 2A, 2B , 2C, and 2D depict perspective views of the examplestrain relief device 200 and an examplestrain relief insert 205.FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 200 attached to or formed as a part of areceptacle portion 220 that is attached to aheader portion 230 of a connector such as theconnector 130.FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the examplestrain relief insert 205.FIG. 2C depicts a perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 200 with the examplestrain relief insert 205 being received in astrain relief housing 202.FIG. 2D depicts a cutaway perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 200. - The
strain relief device 200 may include thestrain relief housing 202 and thestrain relief insert 205. Thestrain relief insert 205 may be inserted into and thus received in thestrain relief housing 202. Thestrain relief device 200 may be attached to or molded as part of a housing of a connector such as theconnector 130 or, more specifically, to the housing of areceptacle portion 220 or a header portion 210 of a connector. Thestrain relief insert 205 may be received and locked in thestrain relief housing 202 such theinsert 205 may not be removed or may be removed only with the use of a mechanism to unlock theinsert 205 from thestrain relief housing 202. Once received in thestrain relief housing 202, thestrain relief insert 205 may be disposed to be soldered to a respective location on a substrate, such as thesubstrate 120, whensolder balls 250 attached to individual contacts (not shown) in aconnector 130 are soldered to the substrate. - The
strain relief housing 202 may include aslot 204 into which thestrain relief insert 205 may be inserted. Theslot 204 and theinsert 205 may each be in a complementary shape to lock and hold theinsert 205 in thestrain relief housing 202. Thestrain relief insert 205 may include, for example, one ormore spring beams 207 for insertion into thestrain relief housing 202 and aplate portion 209 that extends in a direction perpendicular to a direction of insertion into thestrain relief housing 202. Additionally, respective ends 207 a of the spring beams 207 may be connected by abody 207 b such that the spring beams 207 form a “U” shape, as best seen inFIG. 2B . - The spring beams 207 may extend from the
body 207 b in a first direction and may each include an extension, that is,protrusion 208 extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. Theprotrusion 208 may form ashoulder 208 a on thespring beam 207. During insertion of thestrain relief insert 205 into thestrain relief housing 202, theprotrusions 208 may press againstwalls 204 a of theslot 204, forcing the spring beams 207 to deflect toward each other, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. The deflection may also be perpendicular to a direction of insertion. The spring beams 207 may be inserted into thestrain relief housing 202 until theplate portion 209 abuts thestrain relief housing 202. When theplate portion 209 abuts thestrain relief housing 202, theprotrusions 208 may extend past acomplementary slot shoulder 203 in theslot 204. When theprotrusions 208 extend past theslot shoulder 203, the deflectedspring beam 207 may return to a relaxed, undeflected state as theprotrusions 208 no longer abutrespective walls 204 a of theslot 204 to cause the spring beams 207 to deflect. This may best be seen inFIG. 2D . - When each of the spring beams 207 returns to a relaxed state, the
strain relief insert 205 may be locked in thestrain relief housing 202, preventing theinsert 205 from being moved in a direction opposite the direction of insertion (i.e., preventing theinsert 205 from being removed from the strain relief housing 202). Additionally, theplate portion 209 and the strain relief housing may cooperate to prevent thestrain relief insert 205 from moving any farther in the direction of insertion as theplate portion 209 abuts thestrain relief housing 202. It should be understood that the direction of insertion of thestrain relief insert 205 may be away from a substrate to which theinsert 205 may be connected. Thestrain relief insert 205 may be locked in thestrain relief housing 202 in the absence of barbs, spurs, or other mechanisms used to cut into thespring relief housing 202. - After the
strain relief insert 205 is received in thestrain relief housing 202, thestrain relief device 200 may be soldered or otherwise connected to a substrate such as a printed circuit board. Theplate portion 209 may be soldered to the substrate when thesolder balls 250 are soldered to the substrate. Theplate portion 209 may includesolder holes 206 that may be used to firmly solder thestrain relief device 200 to the substrate. - The
strain relief housing 202 may be constructed of a suitable material such as plastic or of the same material as the housing of theelectrical connector 130 to which it is attached. Alternatively, thestrain relief housing 202 may be molded as part of the housing of theelectrical connector 130. Thestrain relief insert 205 may be constructed of a conductive material or a material otherwise amenable to being soldered to a substrate. The spring beams 207 and theplate portion 209 may be stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of conductive material. Theplate portion 209 may be bent or deformed such that it is perpendicular to the spring beams 207 before inserting into the strain relief housing. -
FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3C, and 3D depict bottom views of electrical connectors showing another example embodiment of astrain relief device 300 and example methods of configuring thestrain relief devices 300. Thestrain relief device 300 may be substantially similar to thestrain relief device 200 but may include two strain relief inserts 305 a, 305 b received in respective slots instead of one insert as shown with regard to thestrain relief device 200. This doubling of the strain relief inserts may allow for a longer strain relief connection with a substrate without detrimentally increasing the strain relief footprint on the substrate. - The
strain relief device 300 may be configured in various ways to provide optimal strain relief for an application. As shown inFIG. 3A , the strain relief inserts 305 a, 305 b may be positioned such that aplate portion 309 a faces towards thereceptacle portion 220, while theadjacent plate portion 309 b faces away from thereceptacle portion 220. As shown inFIGS. 3B and 3C , the strain relief inserts 305 a, 305 b may be positioned such that theplate portions FIG. 3B ) or toward (FIG. 3C ) thereceptacle portion 220.FIG. 3D shows that the strain relief inserts 305 a, 305 b may be positioned such that theplate portions receptacle portion 220 may face away from the receptacle portion and theplate portions receptacle portion 220 may face toward thereceptacle portion 220. Such positioning may be equally applicable on the header portion 210 of theelectrical connector 130 or on any other type of electrical connector. -
FIGS. 4A, 4B , 4C, and 4D depict perspective views of an alternative examplestrain relief device 400 and an alternative examplestrain relief insert 405.FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 400 with the examplestrain relief insert 405 partially received in astrain relief housing 402.FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the examplestrain relief insert 405.FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 400 with the examplestrain relief insert 405 partially received in thestrain relief housing 402.FIG. 4D is a perspective view of the examplestrain relief device 400 with thestrain relief insert 405 received in thestrain relief housing 402. - The
strain relief device 400 may include thestrain relief housing 402 and thestrain relief insert 405. Thestrain relief device 400 may be attached to a housing of a connector such as theconnector 130 or, more specifically, to the housing of areceptacle portion 220 or a header portion 210 of a connector. Thestrain relief insert 405 may be inserted into and thus received in thestrain relief housing 402. Thestrain relief housing 402 thus may include aslot 404 into which thestrain relief insert 405 may be received, as may best be seen inFIG. 4C . A direction of insertion may be towards a substrate to which thestrain relief insert 405 may be connected. - The
strain relief insert 405 may be include abody 407 extending in a first direction withbeams 407 a extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. Thebeams 407 may form aninsert shoulder 408 that may correspond to ashoulder 412 in theslot 404 of thestrain relief housing 402. This may best be seen inFIG. 4C . The complementary shapes of theinsert 405 and the slot shoulders 412 may create a positive stop, preventing theinsert 405 from moving in the direction of insertion when theslot shoulder 412 abuts theinsert shoulder 408. - After the
strain relief insert 405 is received in thestrain relief housing 402 and theinsert shoulder 408 abuts theslot shoulder 412,plate portions 409 of thestrain relief insert 405 may extend beyond thestrain relief housing 402. This may best be seen inFIG. 4D . Theplate portions 409 of the insert may be bent or deformed by any suitable method and with any suitable tool such that theplate portions 409 abut thestrain relief housing 402. This may be best seen inFIGS. 4E-4H . In this way, thestrain relief insert 405 may be prevented from being moved in a direction opposite the direction of insertion (i.e., from being removed from the strain relief housing 402). Additionally, theplate portions 409 may be suitably located to be soldered to respective locations on a substrate, and may includesolder holes 406 to facilitate soldering. - As may best be seen in
FIG. 4B , the strain relief insert may includereliefs plate portion 409 to facilitate providing a snug abutment of theplate portions 409 against thestrain relief housing 402. Additionally, theplate portion 409 may include aplate portion slot 403 to allow for easier bending of the slot portion and also to enable thestrain relief device 400 to be configures in various ways for optimal strain relief. Various configurations are depicted inFIGS. 4E-4H . - As shown in
FIG. 4E , theplate portion 409 may be bent or deformed such that half of theplate portion 409 faces towards thereceptacle portion 220, while the other half faces away from thereceptacle portion 220. As shown inFIGS. 4F and 4G , theplate portion 409 may be configured such both halves face away from (FIG. 4F ) or toward (FIG. 4G ) thereceptacle portion 220.FIG. 4H shows that theplate portions 209 on both sides of thereceptacle portion 220 may be bent or deformed in the same direction such that theplate portion 409 on one side of thereceptacle portion 220 may face away from the receptacle portion and theplate portion 409 on the opposite side of thereceptacle portion 220 may face toward thereceptacle portion 220. Such configurations may be equally applicable on the header portion 210 of theelectrical connector 130 or on any other type of electrical connector. - The
strain relief housing 402 may be constructed of a suitable material such as plastic or of the same material as the housing of theelectrical connector 130 to which it is attached. Alternatively, the strain relief housing may be molded as part of the housing of theelectrical connector 130. Thestrain relief insert 405 may be constructed of a conductive material or a material otherwise amenable to being soldered to a substrate. Thestrain relief insert 405 may be stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of conductive material. -
FIGS. 5A, 5B , and 5C depict anexample method 500 of attaching thestrain relief housing 200 to thesubstrate 120 whensolder balls 250 of a ball grid array of thereceptacle portion 220 are attached to thesubstrate 120. Atstep 510, thestrain relief insert 205 may be received in thestrain relief housing 202. Atstep 520, thereceptacle portion 220 may be placed on thesubstrate 120. Thesolder balls 250 may abut thesubstrate 120. A gap G1 may form between thestrain relief device 200 and thesubstrate 120. Atstep 530, reflow of thesolder balls 250 may commence and, as thesolder balls 250 are reflowed to thesubstrate 120, the gap G1 may decrease until thestrain relief device 200 abuts thesubstrate 120. That is, the gap G1 may account for a distance that thereceptacle portion 220 may move towards thesubstrate 120 during reflow. Upon completion of reflow or when thestrain relief device 200 abuts thesubstrate 120, thestrain relief device 200 may be soldered to thesubstrate 120. Themethod 500 may be equally applicable to other strain relief devices such as, for example, thestrain relief devices -
FIGS. 6A and 6B depict perspective views of theheader portion 230 with alternative example configurations ofstrain relief devices 200 to minimize footprints of thedevices 200 on asubstrate 110.FIG. 6A depicts a perspective view of anexample header portion 230 with fourstrain relief devices strain relief devices header portion 230, and one or more respectivestrain relief devices header portion 230 that abuts thesubstrate 110. The distance F that a footprint of astrain relief device 200 b extends beyond the footprint of the housing of theheader portion 230 may be minimized through the design of the strain relief devices, 200, 300, 400 described herein. The distance F may be, for example, 0.3-1.5 mm. -
FIG. 6B depicts a perspective view of anexample header portion 230 with twostrain relief devices strain relief devices header portion 230 that abuts thesubstrate 110. In this way, the connector pitch of thesubstrate 110 may not be affected by the addition of thestrain relief devices - Thus there have been described systems and methods for improved strain relief devices for electrical connectors. It is to be understood that the foregoing illustrative embodiments have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the invention. For example, the strain relief devices may be attached to other connector types, not just to those including a receptacle portion and a header portion. Words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Further, although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular structure, materials and/or embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein. Rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may affect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/051,361 US7341482B2 (en) | 2005-02-04 | 2005-02-04 | Strain relief for ball grid array connectors |
CNA2006800038892A CN101111976A (en) | 2005-02-04 | 2006-01-04 | Strain relief for ball grid array connectors |
PCT/US2006/000142 WO2006086091A1 (en) | 2005-02-04 | 2006-01-04 | Strain relief for ball grid array connectors |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/051,361 US7341482B2 (en) | 2005-02-04 | 2005-02-04 | Strain relief for ball grid array connectors |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060178037A1 true US20060178037A1 (en) | 2006-08-10 |
US7341482B2 US7341482B2 (en) | 2008-03-11 |
Family
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/051,361 Expired - Fee Related US7341482B2 (en) | 2005-02-04 | 2005-02-04 | Strain relief for ball grid array connectors |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US7341482B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101111976A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006086091A1 (en) |
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US20060141859A1 (en) * | 2004-12-27 | 2006-06-29 | Yazaki Corporation | Metal fixing member and connector with the same |
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JP5589409B2 (en) * | 2010-01-29 | 2014-09-17 | オムロン株式会社 | Mounting component, electronic device and mounting method |
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US10404014B2 (en) | 2017-02-17 | 2019-09-03 | Fci Usa Llc | Stacking electrical connector with reduced crosstalk |
CN113193402B (en) | 2017-04-28 | 2023-06-02 | 富加宜(美国)有限责任公司 | High frequency BGA connector |
CN110800171B (en) | 2017-04-28 | 2021-11-02 | 富加宜(美国)有限责任公司 | High frequency BGA connector |
KR102631586B1 (en) | 2018-07-06 | 2024-02-02 | 샘텍, 인코포레이티드 | Connector with top- and bottom-stitched contacts |
USD950498S1 (en) | 2018-11-05 | 2022-05-03 | Samtec, Inc. | Connector |
USD950500S1 (en) | 2018-12-17 | 2022-05-03 | Samtec, Inc. | Connector |
USD950499S1 (en) | 2018-12-17 | 2022-05-03 | Samtec, Inc | Connector |
USD951875S1 (en) | 2019-10-15 | 2022-05-17 | Samtec, Inc. | Connector |
USD951202S1 (en) | 2019-12-06 | 2022-05-10 | Samtec, Inc. | Connector |
USD949798S1 (en) | 2019-12-06 | 2022-04-26 | Samtec, Inc. | Connector |
USD958092S1 (en) | 2020-11-20 | 2022-07-19 | Samtec, Inc. | Contact |
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US20060141859A1 (en) * | 2004-12-27 | 2006-06-29 | Yazaki Corporation | Metal fixing member and connector with the same |
US7347725B2 (en) * | 2004-12-27 | 2008-03-25 | Yazaki Corporation | Metal fixing member for fixing a connector to a wiring board |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2006086091A1 (en) | 2006-08-17 |
CN101111976A (en) | 2008-01-23 |
US7341482B2 (en) | 2008-03-11 |
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